Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-27
ESCAPE FROM LIBBY.
A FEDERAL MAJORS SCHEME WHICH
PROVED SUCCESSFUL
Buying . Confederate Uniform By Piece.
mea1-Diggins the Famous Tunnel-In
Disguise-simulating sickness-A Free
but Very Nervous Man.

meal-Diggins the Famous Tunnel-In
Notwithstanding sickness-A Free
but Very Nervous Man.
lconbt it there was among Us a captive
without some pet theory by which liberty
might BE- regained, and ike the rest l nursed,
though silently, a firm determination to
escape, well knowing that strategy must be
my man dependence, since a wound received
during the second year of service rendered
ne TO lane to hope for any luck on foot or
IN the open I knew that a conuIece dis
guise would Be indispensable to nv pur1ose.
and that ali M haste must be made slowly,
Persistent dickering and trading here and
there when and wherever I could safely do it
gradually put me in possession Of the differ
ent parts Of a gray uniform. and l was
meanwhile doing what I could to make the
wounded leg serviceabIe to bear me toward
freedom Patient and ofttims painful t5u
1t took to achieve this end, but, ike the rest,
L was desperate and counted 10 effort too
great l paced the room in which l was
confined and learned how many times about
1t made a mile. Then dav after dav I
increased my walk, improving ny ability as
apedsstrian and earning among nv comrades
the reputation of a crank. Ny health was
giving way. To remain much longer meant
that some morning l should go forth in one
OF the rude boxes We daily saw hauled AWAY.
we knew not where, in the prison cart.
bad also another motive-to a man of q
probably the chief motive. 1 have nearly
doubled my years since then, but I can
across my table and see the eyes which |
drew me out of Libby and smiling back
the love which has never grown cold.
WATCHING TO ESCAPE.
waiting and watching my chance, l left
my beard unshorn for months. determined
TO look as little as possible Ike the man who |
MAD entered there at midsummer. Jan, 1.
1854, sa" the beginning Of a great enter
prise. Odd as 1t may seem, out Of the 800
officers at that time confined in Libby but
sixteen. sworn to secrecy, began digging the
famous tunnel, to which I must briefly refer.
since 1t bears, though indirectly, upon my
story. The prison consisted Of three
buildings, sepaoated only by partition walls.
IN the ground floor of the middle building
hearthstone was taken up and access was
obtained to the cellar. A few stones were
'efnoFed from the foundation wall and with
ihiFes and tin plates a space just large enough
ALLOW Of the passage Of a mans BODY was
ut out. The digger filled his coat with earth
nd then worked bis way back, casting the
Dose earth down the sinks as opportunity
erved.
The original intention was BY tunue]ine
0 reach the sewer, which discharged into
ne canal at the rear Of the prison, and fol-
o"ins 1t, to escape along the edge of the
'ater. But having accomplished the first
ortlon OF this plan the sewer was found to
e 1mpracticable from being entirely full.
no this immense labor had to be repeated
/ another direction. Another tunnel was /;
lerefore run to and beyond a board fence IA ,
stance OF sixty feet which separated the !,
lDoy from the next building. Once beyond ,
re renee one was outside the guard and must {
Ike his chance of getting clear Of the CITY. =
nrough this tunnel one month later 100
7soners made their escape. ~fftveight OF
poor souls being recaptured. MANY have
aimed the credit Of this affair. but IN :
'ubtedly the real engineer of the famous =
.bby tunnel was Col. William A, Rose =
20 when within sight Of our lines at Will r
tnsburg, Va, was overtaken and returned Il
Richmond. "
FASTENING MY SCHEME ,
knowledge of what was in process P
stoned my own plans, for I foresaw that b
e inevitable discovery would cause such b
glance and suspicion as would render anv b.
rther attempts futile. Early on the morn "
: OF Jan ~ l shaved nv face entirely 81
an and for want Of a better metium dark W
81 my eyebrows and hair with a mixture tn
SCOT and water and yeIIowcd my sin with OF
Of walnut shucks, which fairly &C
| the Saxon cast | was born to. Nv gray 81
I vas put on over a pair Of blue pants. de
gray ONES being rolled up to the knees so bI
II my blue army overcoat might cover all
;ept the lower part Of my clothing and so
ist the disguise. The call for the sick at
IN. gave me an opportunity to 20 with a hu
re Oh others To the ground floor for advice tb
medicine. Stimulating weakness l passed co
examination and ioitcrei near the door M
y, hoping to seize a lucky monent for slip I'm
3 out, bat too many were about, and, A.
ned, L returned to my quarters to watch ~;
wait. Up to a short time previous to ~,
We as officers had had free access be- M
IN all rooms, but latterly the CO.
Ii!S doors had been nailed up, and this =
We, while it curtailed our freedom. also M
lPelled the guard to go completely out Of 500
Du'us osiote en'erlng another. wilt
Irnong many foolish pranks a merciful Cor
whence granted us one flower of wis n1o.
In some moment Of inspiration we had r.
cd one Of these doors across the middle. uo,
by placing a shelf on each side over the .ra
* had produced an innocent appearance. ho.,
where was really a means Of Clo
* communication. am thus particular,
ause In the end this fact proved to be nv
alton. At 3 o'clock occurred the daily a
call, and just previous to it myself and .or
other officer, who was rendering me such son
as he could, slipped quietly through the o,,a
door, exchanging places with two others faiis
were in my secret and prepared for this
e In this middle room free access was